Category Archives: Green Initiatives/ Environment

Restaurant waste fuels Chennai noon-meal kitchen

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies
The plant is yet to reach its full capacity. However, the gas generated now is enough to boil eggs, served to the students of Cantonment High School along with lunch./ Photo: G. Krishnaswamy / The Hindu
The plant is yet to reach its full capacity. However, the gas generated now is enough to boil eggs, served to the students of Cantonment High School along with lunch./ Photo: G. Krishnaswamy / The Hindu

Once the plant reaches full capacity, there will be enough gas to run the stove for 150 minutes, nonstop, every day

Food waste generated from restaurants has helped to light the stove at the noon-meal kitchen of a government school in St. Thomas Mount.

More than 150 children have lunch at the school every day.

Clean energy

A biogas plant was set up at Cantonment High School in St. Thomas Mount last week. Through the simple process of fermentation of degradable waste, the plant produces methane gas from food waste.

Through a pipeline, the gas reaches a conventional stove in the noon-meal kitchen of the school.

The plant is yet to reach its full capacity as trials are still on. However, the gas generated now is enough to boil eggs that are served to the students along with the lunch. Once the plant reaches full capacity, there will be enough gas to run the stove for 150 minutes, nonstop, every day.

Plant costs Rs. 25,000

The plant was inaugurated by S. Prabhakaran, chief executive officer of St. Thomas Mount-cum-Pallavaram Cantonment Board, in the presence of Army officers and elected representatives.

Hand-in-Hand, an NGO associated with the Board’s solid waste management project from 2009, has installed the plant, which costs Rs. 25,000. “This is a very small plant but can be scaled up in the future. It has resulted in significant savings in LPG usage,” said Mr. Prabhakaran.

Peter Durairaj, health superintendent, said the plant had now been filled with about one kilogram of food waste sourced from restaurants every day. The food waste is mashed before being poured into the plant.

The resultant sludge from the plant — high-quality manure — can be used in gardening.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by K.Manikandan / Chennai – January 12th, 2014

Record banana harvest in Theni: horticulture department

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Records, All

Madurai :

Banana farmers in Theni district have produced a record 120 tonnes of bananas per hectare breaking national record, claimed a horticulture department official.

Several farms in Kamayakoundanpatti in Theni district yielded 120 tonnes of banana per hectare, said S Murugan, deputy director of horticulture department at Theni. However, the department couldn’t document the feat on time for a mention in record books. The harvest should have been calculated by the horticulture and statistics departments, he said.

Theni production is a record by all means as Maharashtra with its alternating cold and hot climates could not have exceeded 75 tonnes per hectare, Murugan said.

The official cited the case of one farmer Gurunathan and his son Loganathan who took up banana cultivation using tissue culture saplings. They relied on drip irrigation and reaped over 120 tonnes per hectare. “These farmers also provided nutrients and fertilizers in measured amounts,” Murugan revealed, adding Gurunathan has completed about 70% of the harvest. “The yield may go up to 150 tonnes per hectare at the end,” he said.

Theni district, which has a conducive climate for banana cultivation, has 8,000 hectares under the crop. A green banana variety known as Grand Naine is cultivated by many farmers here. About 90 tonnes is the average production at many farms.

It is Maharashtra that holds the record for the highest production per hectare of 68 tonnes. The horticulture department is planning to organise a competition for the banana farmers after January, he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Tonnes / by Padmini Sivarajah, TNN / January 05th, 2014

‘Give autonomy to Raise edu Quality’

Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Records, All

In order to promote quality of education, educational institutions must be accorded autonomy, opined VIT University chancellor G Viswanathan.

While speaking at a function on Saturday organised by associations, NGOs and institutions to commemorate his 75th birthday celebrations, Viswanathan recalled that had he not met former chief minister of TN Annadurai, he would have ended up as an advocate and not an educationist.

He said the educational institutions across the country were not being given adequate support by the government and wherever these institutions enjoyed freedom and autonomy, they were able to provide quality education. Quality education must be the goal for both the State and Centre, he added.

Viswanathan also stressed on the importance of providing good tree cover to Vellore, which, in the next ten years would change the climate  of the city. He also offered to donate `50 lakh to renovate the Sangeetha Sabha building in the old bus stand area. Former union minister S R Balasubramaniam, termed Viswanathan as an open-minded person, who was a friend of all parties. The VIT University, founded by Viswanathan had become an additional landmark of the historical city of Vellore, he added. The organisers of the event conferred the ‘Kalviko’ award  on Viswanathan. The diamond jubilee souvenir was released by the former vice-chancellor of  Anna University A Kalanidhi, on the occasion.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Vellore / December 30th, 2013

Organic farming scientist Nammalvar dead

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
G. Nammalvar / The Hindu
G. Nammalvar / The Hindu

G. Nammalvar (75), organic farming scientist and crusader, died at Pichinikadu village near Pattukottai on Monday night.

Born at Elankadu village near Thiruvaiyaru in 1938, he graduated in agriculture from Annamalai University. In 1963, he joined as an officer in the Agricultural Regional Research Centre, Kovilpatti.

Later he served as an agronomist in Island Peace, an organisation founded by Nobel Laureate R.P. Dominic Pyre. All his life, he championed the cause of natural farming. Gandhigram Rural University honoured him with a doctorate.

A crusader against genetically modified crops, he was spearheading the movement against proposed methane project in Cauvery delta districts.

This article has been corrected for a typographical error.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Thanjavur – December 31st, 2013

Coimbatore’s botanical gardens to get seed vending machine

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Records, All

Coimbatore :

The Coimbatore Botanical Gardens is set to emerge as the first to have a ‘seed vending machine’ in the State.

The machine will dispense vegetable and flower seeds in affordable packets of 10 gm to 100 gm each (depending upon the price), priced at Rs 10 a packet, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor K. Ramasamy said.

The university has invested Rs 2.4 lakh on this machine.

Ramasamy said the university’s labelled seeds would be packaged and placed in the vending machine. The effort is aimed at encouraging kitchen and roof-top gardens.

The seed requirement for such potted plants is relatively less, and those looking for seeds invariably buy such packets at agri expos. The vending machine will enable garden lovers to source in quantities suited to their needs.

Seed packets would be placed in rows in 6 trays. The user can insert the Rs 10 note or coin, select the seed and collect the packet without waiting to be served, he added.

Depending on the response to this seed dispenser, the varsity plans to install more such machines in the coming days. “We have plans to install a seed dispenser for private seed producers as well. We are looking to create a small window for organic products too,” he added.

The vending machine will be formally inaugurated by State Agriculture Minister S. Damodaran on January 11.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / by L. N. Revathy    revathy.lakshminarasimhan@thehindu.co.in / Coimbatore – January 06th, 2014

New broad gauge bay inaugurated at Golden Rock workshop

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Trichy:

The newly-converted broad gauge (BG) bay for undertaking both light schedule and heavy schedule attention of EMD locomotives, was declared open by the Trichy divisional railway manager (DRM) Manjula Rangarajan at the Golden Rock Workshop on Wednesday. The bay has been constructed with elevated platforms with a pit facility for attending to the bogie. The Railway Board has sanctioned Rs 14 crore for augmenting the infrastructure at the 42-year-old diesel loco shed that has bagged the annual rolling shield for best maintained shed five times in the last nine years. Manjula Rangarajan also commissioned the newly-installed reverse osmosis (RO) type water purifying plant for the benefit of 750 employees of this shed. The 250 litre per hour capacity RO plant happened to be a new year’s gift to the employees, she said. The workforce at the shed maintain 147 diesel locomotives (71 ALCO type, 53 EMD type high horse power locomotives and 23 DEMU power cars).

Since July 2011, the diesel loco shed at Golden Rock became the first in the country to maintain EMD type locomotives with 4500 horse power that are used extensive in both freight service and in express train service. “In order to home these new breed of locomotives, the Railway Board had sanctioned Rs 14 crore for augmenting the infrastructure and for the procurement of various tools, machineries required for maintenance,” she explained.

The DRM further said that the new bay had been specially constructed with elevated platforms for working alongside the locomotives and with a pit facility for attending to the bogie and under gear items with much ease. These bays would provide additional space required for increased holding of these locomotives, she added.

Earlier, under the leadership of the DRM, all the officers and division and engineers of diesel shed and faculty of Diesel Traction and Training Centre (DTTC) carried out mass tree plantation at the training centre. Only treated effluent water discharged with the effluent treatment plant would be used for watering these trees, she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy /TNN / January 03rd, 2014

Community groups and SHGs to maintain Tiruchi parks

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
FACE TO FACE: An AIADMK councillor speaking at the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation Council meeting on Friday. / Photo: A.Muralitharan / The Hindu
FACE TO FACE: An AIADMK councillor speaking at the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation Council meeting on Friday. / Photo: A.Muralitharan / The Hindu

They are allowed to collect user and entry fee; lights, gardens, amusement equipment, toilets lying in disuse

Tiruchirapalli City Corporation Council on Friday decided to hand over maintenance of public parks in the city to community groups and women self-help groups.

A decision to this effect was taken at an urgent meeting of the council with A. Jaya, Mayor, in the chair. Conceding the need to improve the upkeep of the public parks in the city, an official resolution that was approved by the council, said the infrastructure such as lights, gardens, amusement equipment, and toilets have been lying in disuse in many of the parks because of the absence of personnel to maintain them.

The corporation now plans to identify community (comprising residents of the respective areas) or self-help groups to maintain the parks. Initially, the parks would be handed over to the groups for maintenance for three years. The civic body would post watch and ward staff and groups would be vested with the task of maintaining the parks, including the gardens and other infrastructure. The corporation will not pay the groups any salary.

However, they may be gradually allowed to collect a user fee of Rs. 50 a month or Rs. 2 a person as entry fee to the parks. The groups will be allowed to put up milk kiosks through Aavin or other agencies.

The council approved a resolution to relocate all the 66 traders of the Vazhakkai Mandi functioning adjacent to Gandhi Market, to the Viragupettai Overhead Drinking Water Tank complex, where the necessary infrastructure will be developed.

Answering a query from M. Mohamed Mustafa of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Corporation Commissioner V.P. Thandapani said the OHT complex had adequate space to accommodate the traders.

The council gave its nod for constructing a new commercial complex by demolishing the diamond jubilee building, an old toilet complex, a two-wheeler parking lot, and a few shops in front of Gandhi Market as part of the civic body’s initiative to renovate and redevelop the market.

However, the move was strongly opposed by Syed Ibrahim (independent), who sought to know the fate of the 200-odd traders currently at the diamond jubilee building and wondered whether they would be allotted space at the new building or given alternative sites. Corporation officials contended that no trader had been allotted shops at the building and only platform shopkeepers were allowed to carry on their business there on a first-come-first-served basis every day.

Mr. Thandapani said measures were aimed at relieving the congestion around the market. However, alleging irregularities in the move, Mr. Ibrahim staged a walkout from the meeting.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / December 28th, 2013

IFGTB’s afforestation initiatives in mine spoils lauded

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
Dumping of mine spoils has always been a problem for health and environment. / Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Dumping of mine spoils has always been a problem for health and environment. / Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu

The drive was carried out near mines in Yercaud, Salem and Coimbatore

Afforestation initiatives in mine spoils in Salem and Coimbatore districts carried out by the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) during the period 2002-06 has been lauded by the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in a documentary film.

The Director of IFGTB, N. Krishna Kumar, said that reclamation of mine spoil land, rehabilitation and restoration of de-graded areas has come in for appreciation. IFGTB carried out the drive in one hectare in areas closer to bauxite mine near Yercaud, in two hectares near magnesite mine in Salem and another two hectares near the lime stone mine in Coimbatore.

Mine spoils is a mixture of minerals, metals, rock fragments, and sub-soils that result from surface mining operations. Dumping of mine spoils had always been a problem for health and environment. To ameliorate the mine spoils, top spoil is spread over it before planting saplings, because top soil has good structure, water holding capacity and beneficial microbes which are very essential for plant growth.

Suitable tree species such as Acacia Auriculformis, Casuarina equisetfolie and Gmelina were inoculated with culture beneficial microbes such as Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Rhizobium Phospobacterium and Azospirillum and then grown in collected mine spoils as potting media.

Seedlings grown in mine spoils with these bio-fertilisers have been improved in terms of growth and biomass. Thus, quality improved seedlings with bio-fertilisers were directly transplanted at the sites.

After this, growth and survival rate are monitored on an annual basis. Seedlings inoculated with beneficial microbes had higher growth and survival rate.

Method of using beneficial microbes for afforestation in mine spoils is cost effective and environment friendly. The reclaimed and rehabilitated sites are fast restoring, increasing the bio-diversity by attracting host of insects, butterflies and birds.

Ecological engineering using soil microbes is a sure way to restore the degraded areas in which public participation is essential, Mr.Krishna Kumar added. Now, IFGTB has specialised teams in the area of mine spoil restoration.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by V. S.  Palaniappan / Coimbatore – December 21st, 2013

Cuddalore farmer bags national award for successful country chicken farming

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Cuddalore :

A small-time poultry farmer in Cuddalore district was among the first to predict that those investing in finance companies to rear emu birds would be in deep trouble. Having visited an emu farm in a village near Guntur, Andhra Pradesh way back in 1990, Cuddalore-based farmer R Kathamuthu, 45 was convinced that the there was no profit in rearing emus.

He advised several farmers not to invest in emu. A few took him seriously and did not burn their fingers, but the rest suffered huge losses. But, Kathamuthu, who hails from Old Vandipalayam, was selected for an award for the year 2013 for promoting country chicken or ‘naatu kozhi’ in local parlance.

The Chandigarh-based central poultry development organization (CPDO) gave him the national award, recognizing his contribution in the field of ‘desi’ chicken. The CPDO functions under the department of animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries, ministry of agriculture.

Joint secretary (animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries) Sanjay Bose Reddy presented the award to him in the presence of CPDO director K Ravikumar and its Chennai research centre director, P Kanagaraj, at a function on December 12 in Chandigarh. Son of an agricultural coolie S Ramalingam, Kathamuthu was into aqua culture, farming fish and crustaceans, before taking up poultry farming full time. “Aquaculture is a profitable business but very labour-intensive. It is a huge task to maintain the facility,” Kathamuthu said. An article about CPDO’s research centre in Hessaraghatta, Bangalore, in an agriculture magazine, which he came upon accidentally, changed the course of his life. He visited the centre and underwent a week-long training in poultry farming. It was the beginning of a new life for him.

He set up a country chicken farm with an investment of Rs 50,000 in his village in 2000. With tips from the research centre, he developed his farm in a phased manner. His business peaked in the last couple of years, during which he sold more than 2,500 birds every month. The demand for country chicken eggs also soared and he began to sell more than 500 eggs per day at Rs 5 per egg. His clients included hotels from Bangalore, Chennai, Madurai, Trichy and Salem, besides locals. He used to earn more than Rs 1 lakh per month when his business was at a peak.

“The broiler chicken market is volatile. The price of chicken and eggs fluctuate. But there is always great demand for country chicken and eggs,” he said. His wife, K Inbavalli, and his brother-in-law, A Ramadoss, assist him in maintaining the farm. He trains college students and encourages them to set up poultry farms.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City>Chennai> Cuddalore / by Bosco Dominique, TNN / December 17th, 2013

Creation of Hasanur Forest Division makes monitoring effective in STR

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature
There will be 150 anti-poaching watchers for STR: 90 for Sathy division and the rest for Hasanur Division./ File Photo / The Hindu
There will be 150 anti-poaching watchers for STR: 90 for Sathy division and the rest for Hasanur Division./ File Photo / The Hindu

With the newly-created Hasanur Forest Division taking formal shape, the department is able to plan effective monitoring in the cross-border areas of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) with relative ease, according to officials.

The department is in a position to bolster manpower by inducting more anti-poaching watchers chosen from among locals in the forest area with innate knowledge of the terrain. There will be 150 anti-poaching watchers for STR: 90 for Sathy division and the rest for Hasanur Division.

Camps for anti-poaching watchers with monitoring equipment would be established in cross-border areas to prevent movement of poachers. Patrolling by anti-poaching watchers in areas specified to each individual could be read with GPS technology, Conservator of Forests and Field Director, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, I. Anwardin, said.

The divisional and range level officers would be able to address ground-level issues more effectively, he said.

The new division was carved out of the Sathyamangalam Forest Division that had jurisdiction over 1.4 lakh hectares of forest area. More attention could henceforth be provided to Thengumarada landscape, said Mr. Anwardin. Sathyamangalam forest division was the largest in Tamil Nadu before bifurcation was effected. Alongside the ranges of Hasanur, Thalavadi and Germalam altogether spread over about 50,000 hectares, the Hasanur Division has eco-development and Forest Squad ranges as well. The rest of the forest area comes under four ranges of Sathyamangalam Division including Bhavani Sagar and T.N. Palayam ranges. Rangers of territorial ranges can hereafter focus exclusively on the main task of tiger conservation, and preventing cross-border movement of poachers, Deputy Director of STR P. Pari said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by R Krishnamoorthy / Erode – December 16th, 2013